New
Jan 24, 2017 11:08 AM
#1
| Alternate histories are a very peculiar genre, one which I quite like. As someone who enjoys history and politics in general, it is quite entertaining to imagine how real-life events would turn out differently, and to what extent fiction diverges from reality. In AH circles, there is a term known as the "POD" or "Point of Divergence." Fiction correlates from reality in a fairly coherent manner up until this point. To what extent history changes depends on the writer. Some series such as Bioshock and Wolfenstein drastically diverge from real life events, explaining divergences with quantum mechanics (Bioshock) or advanced technology (Wolfenstein). Using a non-videogame example, writer Harry Turtledove adopts a similar approach to alternate history. One of his most famous novels is "The Guns of the South." In it, an South African extremist organization known as the Afrikaner Weerstandbeweging (a real-life white supremacist faction) utilize time-travel to provide the Confederacy with modern assault rifles. While this is a very silly premise, the ramifications of modern AK-47s in the 19th century are portrayed very realistically. This is something shared by all 3 IPs. Code Geass on the other hand, takes an entirely different approach to alternate history. The POD begins with the Celts fending off the Romans from the British Isles. British history goes quite well, with Elizabeth I later siring male heirs to the throne. However, the primary POD is the failure of the American Revolution, otherwise known as "Washington's Rebellion" in-universe. The USA never existed (thanks to Benjamin Franklin betraying the real-life Founding Fathers), leaving Britain as the supreme military power. French autocrat Napoleon Bonaparte kicked out the British from Europe, resulting them in conquering all of North America and South America. Meanwhile, Napoleon establishes a pseudo-European Union composed of Europe and Africa, with a smaller ambiguous Middle Eastern nation surviving. China manages to gain immense foothold in contrast to Japan, wherein China conquers most of East Asia. Since Commodore Perry never established contact between America and Japan in the 1800s, this left Britain (now called Britannia) to establish relations. And by "establish relations," I mean invade Japan to exploit it's own natural resources and people for Britannia's own benefit. When the series starts, Japan has undergone Britannian colonization, with systematic attempts by the Britannians to wipe out Japanese culture by means of racial segregation and social darwinism. As the opening narration states, the very name of Japan itself is stripped down to a mere number: Area 11. Enter our protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly known as Lelouch vi Britannia. One of the former Britannian princes, his mother was tragically murdered during the Britannian invasion of Japan. Seeking revenge, he calls out his father, the social darwinist Charles zi Britannia. Clearly not in the mood to provide answers, Charles discards Lelouch's demands. Lelouch goes into exile as a student in a affluent Britannian school. In the years following the Britannian occupation, Lelouch gets caught up in a firefight between Japanese nationalists and the Britannian government. During this skirmish, he comes into contact with a mysterious yet beautiful woman known as CC. In a Faustian bargain, CC grants Lelouch with the power of Geass. Geass allows Lelouch to instantly command someone to do anything, but it can only be used once. With a newfound power and his natural charisma and intelligence, Lelouch vi Britannia begins to form his own organization known as the Black Knights, who on the surface seek independence from Britannia. However, this serves as a personal cover for Lelouch, who is using this nationalist rebellion for two goals: To find out who murdered his mother, and to create a world where he and his disabled sister Nunally can live in peace and happiness. Unfortunately, not only does Lelouch have to contend with the indomitable might of a massive empire, he also must contend with one of their soldiers: Suzaku Kururugi, a former friend of Lelouch who despite his Japanese ethnicity had managed to climb the ranks of the Britannian military, to the point where he even gets his own exclusive mecha (known as a Knightmare Frame in-universe). He serves as an effective and fitting foil to Lelouch. Suzuaku is very defined by the means rather than the end. He wishes to change the system from within, appearing as an honorable person. This is despite the fact that the very system he works for has little regard towards him. Lelouch is defined by the ends. He seeks peace for Nunally and the absolution of his mother's murder. How he does that does not matter, no matter how awful the methods are. Nietzsche would be very proud. There is a lot of conflict in Code Geass, and most of it is good conflict, echoing different themes that are rife for character development and potential. Self vs Society is the primary one, with Lelouch seeking to change the world for his own benefit, which is a mighty task given how he is facing against the power of a multi-continnental superpower. Since he cannot win with raw power, he uses pragmatic tactics to get his way. Whether it be bargaining, terrain destruction, usage of moles in the Britannian government, or bombings, Lelouch plays very dirty. This allows him to show off brilliant, if at times preposterous strategies. Combine that with intense mecha action, and Code Geass is a very entertaining show. Even at it's lowest points, it is impossible not to be bored by the action. However, there are issues with cohesiveness, which I mentioned previously. One of the issues is the conflict between Britannia and Japan, and how the society in-universe is depicted. Britannia appears to be a mish-mash of several different real-life powers. The racial segregation and discrimmination eerily reminds me of Apartheid South Africa, where the white minority persecuted the Bantu majority by means of segregation. The Bantu people were forced to live in what was known as "Bantustan." Unfortunately, Bantustan became a hotbed for poverty and poor living conditions, along with being denied political power. At the same time however, this is also what various colonial powers did as well. Belgium for example was infamous for their treatment of the Congolese people, as gruesomely described in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." The very same novel that also inspired "Apocalypse Now" and "Spec Ops: The Line." The social darwinism and militaristic attitudes espoused by the government while echoing Nazi Germany, also were traits characterized by the real-life British Empire during the 1800s. It is clear that the Britannians have an identity. Unfortunately, that identity is one based on discrimination and autocracy. The self does not matter in Britannia. In Bioshock, there was a quote from the main villain Andrew Ryan: "A man chooses. A slave obeys." In Britannia, everyone is a slave, unable to express their own political and social independence. The issue I have is that the Japanese nationalists are not necessarily contrasted well with the Britannians. In Code Geass, the Black Knights embody freedom from foreign powers and personal choice. While they can use unethical tactics, they are much less amoral than the Britannians that they are fighting against. The only problem is that their expressions of freedom would not have been very characteristic of that era. If you look at the actions of Imperial Japan, they were little different themselves from the Europeans they claimed they were rebelling against. Rape, cannibalism, wholesome slaughter of innocent civilians, forced labor and the like were quite common during Imperial Japan's expansion. Of course, given how Japan in this timeline is the colonized nation, we wouldn't see institutional atrocities by means of the Japanese. That is the role that the Britannians fill. However, the Japanese resistance movement displays very little fanaticism. Yes, they are terrorist groups. However, we do not see nearly the same amount of fanaticism that is displayed in the Britannians. We do not see very much of their culture expressed, even on an underground level. And the occasional usage of the Rising Sun flag does not necessarily count. Even the Black Knights themselves are relatively benevolent (for an armed resistance), not needlessly killing civilians for the sake of sadism. These groups have an identity (Japanese), but we do not see it expressed very often. This makes the attempt of playing the two groups as foils for one another (an allegory for Lelouch and Suzaku) a little half-hearted. Why is this an issue in the first place? Simple. The show clearly wants us to question morality and how justified the actions of the various factions are, particularly the Black Knights. As mentioned before however, the Black Knights are relatively tame. They can be very underhanded at times, but the Britannians come off as the clear villains and moral aggressors. Even though the USA has a very distinct culture from the UK, the UK still had a considerable influence on the US. As such, both nations share similar values among one another. What registers as awful to a British person would equally register as awful as a American. Japan on the other hand has an entirely different culture, one that values the whole rather than the individual. This is how a lot of other East Asian nations operate as well. Some of the IJA soldiers in real life did the things they did for a number of reasons, one of which was the immense societal pressure placed on them. Disobedience would be a fate worse than death. This is shown in Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima," depicting how the societal pressures of the IJA cause much of the conflict in the film while also highlighting how both the US and Japanese have good qualities and negative qualities. This is from the same man who filmed American Sniper, a film criticized by many as a glorification of war. These were otherwise decent people being forced to do terrible things by the society that they lived in. In Code Geass, the Japanese are the opposite. They resemble Americans if anything else, given how more individualistically minded the Americans are in contrast to the Japanese in real life. It is an inaccurate representation of Japanese culture as a result, and it is a shame that the resistance isn't shown to be as bad as the Britannians. Because were that the case, that would incentivize a genuine moral question: Why support the resistance when they are just as bad as the oppressors? In other words, the chance to draw a meaningful comparison or moral equivalency is lost. The anti-war message loses weight when the Black Knights maintain a moral high ground compared to the Britannian government. Perhaps the largest issue of them all has to be the school element to it all. I can understand why it was put into place. The general light-hearted school environment is generally meant to give the viewer a break from all the grit and violence of warfare, allowing the audience as a result to relax. But it does not tonally fit into Code Geass. If it is trying to tell a war story, let it tell a war story. It seems somewhat implausible how Lelouch can be both a charismatic leader and a intelligent student at the same time. When these segments happen, it feels like I am in an entirely different show entirely. Mechas and war is a good combination. The whole point of the mecha genre is to put two opposing groups or ideas and pit them against each other by means of allegorical giant robots. A serious war story mixed in with a light-hearted school setting is not fitting. Code Geass is still a really great show however. While I have issues with the thematics and the setting, the characters are all well-developed enough and interesting, and Lelouch in particular is a joy to watch, being a fusion of the charisma of Char Aznable with the flair of V from V for Vendetta. It does not end on a conclusive note, but the second-season manages to remedy that problem. There are some flaws that hold it back, but it is nonetheless still a good fun romp. |
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Jan 24, 2017 11:29 AM
#2
| Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. |
Jan 24, 2017 11:38 AM
#3
Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. |
Jan 24, 2017 11:45 AM
#4
Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. |
Jan 24, 2017 11:51 AM
#5
Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. Except to me at least, I don't find the art or sound to be really interesting to talk about. Or rather, what else would I say besides "The animation is ___" or the "Sound is _____?" It may not be the "correct" way to format a review, but I don't really find it interesting to talk about, not nearly as much as the story. There are plenty of standard-type reviews for Code Geass already, and my review is perhaps just a more in-depth one, just focusing on a certain aspect of it. I'm a lot more knowledgeable about plot points and tropes than I would be with critiquing something like music or directing. Think of it as an "write what you know" sort of thing. |
Jan 24, 2017 12:01 PM
#6
Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. Except to me at least, I don't find the art or sound to be really interesting to talk about. Or rather, what else would I say besides "The animation is ___" or the "Sound is _____?" It may not be the "correct" way to format a review, but I don't really find it interesting to talk about, not nearly as much as the story. There are plenty of standard-type reviews for Code Geass already, and my review is perhaps just a more in-depth one, just focusing on a certain aspect of it. I'm a lot more knowledgeable about plot points and tropes than I would be with critiquing something like music or directing. Think of it as an "write what you know" sort of thing. Well that's all good, but if you want to draw the attention of the people to go through your review, you need to cover those points I think. See this for example, the most successful reviewer in MAL https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=75553 He slowly moves on to every detail, first what you should expect from the setting, then the characters, music, production value, direction of the show and then the criticisms and whether they hold up or not. If you are writing for your personal enjoyment and discuss the show with someone by jotting down the points, then this is fine. |
Jan 24, 2017 12:05 PM
#7
Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. Except to me at least, I don't find the art or sound to be really interesting to talk about. Or rather, what else would I say besides "The animation is ___" or the "Sound is _____?" It may not be the "correct" way to format a review, but I don't really find it interesting to talk about, not nearly as much as the story. There are plenty of standard-type reviews for Code Geass already, and my review is perhaps just a more in-depth one, just focusing on a certain aspect of it. I'm a lot more knowledgeable about plot points and tropes than I would be with critiquing something like music or directing. Think of it as an "write what you know" sort of thing. Well that's all good, but if you want to draw the attention of the people to go through your review, you need to cover those points I think. See this for example, the most successful reviewer in MAL https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=75553 He slowly moves on to every detail, first what you should expect from the setting, then the characters, music, production value, direction of the show and then the criticisms and whether they hold up or not. If you are writing for your personal enjoyment and discuss the show with someone by jotting down the points, then this is fine. Ultimately this was written for enjoyment, even if there were some criticisms legitimately made surrounding the show. |
Jan 24, 2017 12:13 PM
#8
| @Ouroboros108 I will post this later to the home page! Thank you for the review! |
 |
Jan 24, 2017 12:13 PM
#9
Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. Except to me at least, I don't find the art or sound to be really interesting to talk about. Or rather, what else would I say besides "The animation is ___" or the "Sound is _____?" It may not be the "correct" way to format a review, but I don't really find it interesting to talk about, not nearly as much as the story. There are plenty of standard-type reviews for Code Geass already, and my review is perhaps just a more in-depth one, just focusing on a certain aspect of it. I'm a lot more knowledgeable about plot points and tropes than I would be with critiquing something like music or directing. Think of it as an "write what you know" sort of thing. Well that's all good, but if you want to draw the attention of the people to go through your review, you need to cover those points I think. See this for example, the most successful reviewer in MAL https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=75553 He slowly moves on to every detail, first what you should expect from the setting, then the characters, music, production value, direction of the show and then the criticisms and whether they hold up or not. If you are writing for your personal enjoyment and discuss the show with someone by jotting down the points, then this is fine. Ultimately this was written for enjoyment, even if there were some criticisms legitimately made surrounding the show. Well then it's fine enough. Ofc criticisms should form a considerable part of the review. Also if you are ever interested in checking out how a simple op of an anime affects the show and analysis of it, check out the "What's in an op" section of Glass reflection. They really provide great analyses on these things https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WlVId8QvjPg&feature=youtu.be |
Jan 24, 2017 12:15 PM
#10
Welcome! |
Jan 24, 2017 12:16 PM
#11
Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Ouroboros108 said: Frostbytes said: Well that felt more like an in-depth analysis than review tbh. Solid write-up, but for a review which you have to present to the newbies, dunno how much it will work. I think the newbies should be able to understand what I'm saying, given how I explain a good deal of what I'm talking about. It may have been heavy on the analysis side of things, but there are some legitimate grievances that I have with the show. No that's what I am not talking about. Reviews are meant as a presentation to the first time watchers, they are clueless about the show and they look up the MAL review. I have a bit of experience with that, so there are some things to note- The direction of the show The art The sound effects And ofc, your opinions Lastly, what you should expect from the show Your opinion shouldn't cover the bulk of the review, at least imo. There are other issues you need to address too like the art, sound effects etc etc. I think Aracheon and Nervin in MAL are pretty good reviewers, you can take up a bit from them about the format. This is just constructive criticism and opinions so no offence. Except to me at least, I don't find the art or sound to be really interesting to talk about. Or rather, what else would I say besides "The animation is ___" or the "Sound is _____?" It may not be the "correct" way to format a review, but I don't really find it interesting to talk about, not nearly as much as the story. There are plenty of standard-type reviews for Code Geass already, and my review is perhaps just a more in-depth one, just focusing on a certain aspect of it. I'm a lot more knowledgeable about plot points and tropes than I would be with critiquing something like music or directing. Think of it as an "write what you know" sort of thing. Well that's all good, but if you want to draw the attention of the people to go through your review, you need to cover those points I think. See this for example, the most successful reviewer in MAL https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=75553 He slowly moves on to every detail, first what you should expect from the setting, then the characters, music, production value, direction of the show and then the criticisms and whether they hold up or not. If you are writing for your personal enjoyment and discuss the show with someone by jotting down the points, then this is fine. Ultimately this was written for enjoyment, even if there were some criticisms legitimately made surrounding the show. Well then it's fine enough. Ofc criticisms should form a considerable part of the review. Also if you are ever interested in checking out how a simple op of an anime affects the show and analysis of it, check out the "What's in an op" section of Glass reflection. They really provide great analyses on these things https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WlVId8QvjPg&feature=youtu.be I've seen some of those videos before, they're pretty neat. |
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